Wendy the curlew

Here’s Wendy the Whaap - she’s a Shetland curlew! Curlews are Europe’s largest wading birds, and they are in trouble. Between 1995 and 2012, we’ve lost by 55 per cent of the breeding population in Scotland and 30 per cent in England. The RSPB has launched its Curlew Recovery Programme to raise awareness of the curlew’s plight and build support for conservation.

Curlews are very much at home on Shetland, which is why the RSPB there are celebrating this much-loved wader with a series of fun events, including a display of knitted curlews, or “whaaps” as they are known locally!

Wendy the Whaap is knitted in beautifully soft Jamieson’s of Shetland DK wool. You’ll need 7g of 120 Eesit/White;  9g of 121 Mogit/Eesit; 7g of 116 Moorit/Eesit;  oddments of 101 Natural Black.

She’s knitted flat using 4mm needles and has a wire beak.